Much had been made about the showdown between two of America’s best indoor distance runners, Galen Rupp and Bernard Lagat. Both runners competed in the 3,000m event at the U.S. Indoor Athletics Championships on Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ultimately, it was Bernard Lagat who prevailed. Until two weeks ago, Lagat had owned five American indoor records (one and two miles, 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m). However, Galen Rupp broke Lagat’s record in the 5,000m in Birmingham England on Feburary 19, which made Saturday’s duel all the more exciting.

In the race, Aaron Braun acted as pacemaker up to the 1600m point. It was then up to Rupp to take over the lead. The 36-year-old Lagat stayed on Rupp’s shoulder until the final 200m when he unleashed his trademark surge and sprinted past Rupp.

Lagat’s winning time was 7:57.17, while Rupp finished in 7:59.91. An American record wasn’t expected due to the event being held at altitude.

Duncan Larkin

Duncan Larkin is a freelance journalist and author who’s been covering the sport of running for over a decade. He’s run 2:32 in the marathon and won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in 2007. He wrote the book RUN SIMPLE, and coaches runners of all abilities.
You can learn more about him here: http://roadsmillslaps.tumblr.com/about